Syrian War

In the late 3rd century BC, Antiochus III, the Great,
of Syria (and descendent of the hereditary rule established after Alexander's conquests) had restored Seleucid control of the former eastern
kingdoms of Mesopotamia to Syria. At the end of the Second
Macedonian War, the Roman decree by Flaminius announcing
the freedom of Greek cities in Asia Minor was a direct
challenge to Syrian plans on its western borders. By the
time of the declaration, in 196 BC, Antiochus had already
gained control of some of these sites, and even had a
foothold on the shores of Thracia.

The Romans sent a diplomatic mission to Antiochus
about this time with the intention of enforcing their
decree and determining the plans of Syria. The Romans
demanded that Antiochus restore conquests at the cost
of Ptolemy in Egypt, back to Egypt and not to interfere
with Greek coastal cities. Anthiochus responded by suggesting
the Romans had no more right to interfere in his Asian
affairs then he had to interfere in Italy. As seemed to be the custom in Roman diplomacy prior to wars of expansion, after a series
of negotiations little was resolved. War
with Antiochus was inevitable as the Romans looked to
their east for further political influence and authority.

Over the next year, the political climate in Greece
was unstabilized at best. Flaminius, (the Roman hero of Greek independence from the Macedonian Wars) pressed upon the Greeks to authorize a war against Nabis of
Sparta while resulting in an easy victory, increased regional wariness of Rome . As a result the Aetolians especially, a Roman
ally against Philip were becoming unsettled with the spread of Roman influence
in Greece. Hannibal Barca, in exile from Carthage after his defeat in the Second Punic War, had
joined the army of Antiochus as an admiral and was certainly
encouraging war against Rome. Antiochus continued to
operate in Thrace despire Roman assurances that they
would not interfere in Asia provided that the Syrians
left the mainland parts of Europe. Eumenes, the King
of Pergamum in western Asia Minor and a Roman ally, meanwhile urged the
Romans to act against Antiochus.

Obviously deeply involved in Greek affairs by this
time, the Roman were drawn into a war with the now troublesome
Aetolians. Influencing the Spartans to continue operating
against the Achaean League in Greece, the Romans were
forced to intervene again. The Aetolians now took action
on their own and attempted to capture Sparta, Chalcis
and Demetrias. On the first two, Roman intervention
stopped them, but at Demetrias, disgruntled Greeks let
the Aetolians in. The Romans, so busy trying to keep
the peace with several factions, failed to keep any
of them happy. The Aetolians then went to Antiochus
and inspired him to invade Greece, as they convinced
him that the Greeks were ready to be rid of the Roman
yoke. It was at this time, that the Romans were completing
their withdrawal of forces back to Italy, and Antiochus
crossed into Greece at Demetrias, with a small force
of 10,000 men.

While Antiochus may have thought that the Romans might
be indifferent to his aggression, the exact opposite
was the case. In 192 BC, they crossed from Italy into
Epirus with 2 legions to oppose the Syrians. Antiochus
also soon found out that Aetolian claims of Greek willingness
to join him against Rome were far overstated. Aside
from capturing a few towns near Demetrias, no Greeks
willingly joined him. Soon after his crossing, the Achaean
League declared war on Syria and the stage was set for
a showdown between the eastern and western powers.

By 191 BC, the Roman Consul Manius Acilius Glabrio
took command of 20,000 Italians along with a great many
Greek and Illyrian allies. Soon after his arrival, Antiochus
knew he had no chance in Greece, as he was so vastly outnumbered and withdrew to a favorable position.
The Romans immediately took advantage of Antiochus' withdrawal and put an end to Aetolian aggression
taking control of Thessaly. Antiochus, rather than
retreating all the way back to Asia, chose instead to
meet the Romans at a place where his numerical inferiority could be countered with the advantage of terrain. Just as
the Spartans had blocked the Persian advance at Thermopylae some 300 years before, Antiochus chose the sight to prevent
a Roman advance into Asia. Vastly outnumbered, the plan
was a complete folly, however, and Glabrio crushed the Seleucid army completely,
while Antiochus himself fled to Ephesus in Asia Minor.

With this victory, the Romans now considered Greece
and even Asia as part of their sphere of influence.
In 190 BC, the brother of Scipio Africanus, Gnaeus,
was elected Consul and given Asia Minor as his province.
Africanus himself could not be Consul, under Republican
law, as it had been less than 10 years since he held
last held that position, but Gnaeus' election, with the legendary Africanus
as his chief Legate, was proof that the Romans meant
business.

The Scipios first arranged for peace with the Aetolians
enabling them to carry the war to Antiochus with their rear secured. Without
Syrian support, the Aetolians were all too happy to
comply at this point and shed persistant Roman scrutiny. The Scipios then marched into
Asia through Thracia, and by October, were ready to
confront Antiochus. In a precarious situation, the Syrians
tried to offer terms of peace, but the Romans demanded
the complete withdrawal of all forces from Asia Minor
and reparations for all costs of the war to date. Both
sides rejected the other's terms and Antiochus assembled
a large, but poor quality army to face Scipio.

At Magnesia in Ionia, 30,000 Romans and 70,000 Syrian
and mercenary troops met for battle. The Romans quickly
routed Antiochus' forces and the Syrians had no choice
but to withdraw from any previously won gains in the region. Freshly negotiated terms afterward forced Antiochus to withdraw from Asia
all the way to the Taurus Mts., pay 15,000 talents in
reparations, hand-over Hannibal to the Romans, and pay restitution to Eumenes of Pergamum.

As a result of Magnesia, Eumenes of Pergamum not
only became the most powerful King in Asia, but
Rome now spread its influence even deeper into the east maintaining direct control of the Greek cities in
the region, whereas the remaining territories were split
between Pergamum and the Roman ally of Rhodes.